Carbohidratos

Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are the main energy source for the human body. Chemically, carbohydrates are organic molecules in which carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen
General Functions:
* Immediateenergy source for cells (glucose).
* Backup power source (glycogen).
* Structural (chitin, cellulose, glycosaminoglycan).
* Precursors of great importance molecules (ribose)Classification
1. Simple sugars
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Glucose | Fructose |
All carbohydrates are made up of units of sugar. Carbohydrates that contain only one sugar unit (monosaccharides) or two sugar units(disaccharides) are referred to as simple sugars. Simple sugars are sweet in taste and are broken down quickly in the body to release energy. Two of the most common monosaccharides are glucose and fructose.Glucose is the primary form of sugar stored in the human body for energy. Fructose is the main sugar found in most fruits. Both glucose and fructose have the same chemical formula (C6H12O6); however,they have different structures, as shown.

2. Complex carbohydrates
Complex carbohydrates are polymers of the simple sugars. They are slower absorption, and act more like energy reservation.Starch is the principal polysaccharide used by plants to store glucose for later use as energy.
When humans eat starch, an enzyme that occurs in saliva and in the intestines called amylase breaksthe bonds between the repeating glucose units, thus allowing the sugar to be absorbed into the bloodstream. Once absorbed into the bloodstream, the human body distributes glucose to the areas where itis needed for energy or stores it as its own special polymer - glycogen. Glycogen, another polymer of glucose, is the polysaccharide used by animals to store energy. Another important polysaccharideis cellulose.
Starch
Glycogen

Cellulose
3. Oligosaccharide
An oligosaccharide is a saccharide polymer containing a small number (typically two to ten) of component sugars....